The Secret Letter

‘Edie has made lunch for you all in the kitchen,’ Agnes said, dropping a kiss on Meg’s head. ‘Go on.’

The children raced off for their food and I busied myself gathering their boots to take upstairs.

‘Oh leave all that for now,’ Agnes said. ‘Come and have tea and tell me all about this handsome chap you’ve been chatting to.’

To my surprise, I discovered I had quite a lot to say about Joseph.

‘I met him the other day when I fell over on my way to Mrs Pankhurst’s house,’ I told Agnes. ‘He picked me up and brushed me off.’

‘He picked you up,’ she repeated, delighted.

‘He did.’ I paused. ‘He was nice. Another man stepped over me and trod on my petticoat but he stopped to help.’

‘A gentleman.’

‘Handsome, too.’

‘So that’s why your cheeks were red,’ she teased and I felt myself blush again.

Agnes clapped her hands. ‘It’s like a fairy story,’ she said. ‘You fell over and he fell in love.’

‘Heavens, Agnes, no. You are getting ahead of yourself.’

‘Don’t pretend you’re not interested.’

I tried to look indifferent but I failed. ‘He’s nice,’ I admitted. ‘I like him.’

‘I knew it!’

‘But this is all stuff and nonsense,’ I said. ‘Nothing will come of it. Goodness, I’m so busy with the WSPU business, and the newspaper, and the children …’

Not to mention the fact that he was a policeman and there was no way a constable could even entertain the idea of romance with a woman like me. No way at all. I shook my head vigorously.

‘No,’ I said. ‘I am committed to the cause.’

‘Some men are allies to the cause,’ Agnes pointed out. ‘My John, for one.’

‘Your John is a treasure. But he is far from the norm.’

I wondered if it was possible that PC Fairbanks could be a secret supporter of women’s suffrage. Perhaps. He seemed to be such a nice chap. Surely he would be able to see the reason behind our arguments? Though that didn’t mean he could suddenly start spending time with suffragettes.

‘Anyway, whether he is an ally or not, I have no time for male attention.’

‘Really?’ Agnes said, disappointed.

I was firm. ‘Really.’

Chapter 11 (#ulink_7b6c166f-a665-5d11-8134-fcaec4f2328b)

Lizzie (#ulink_7b6c166f-a665-5d11-8134-fcaec4f2328b)

2019

I knew that telling the staff that the council intended to close Elm Heath Primary would be terrible. I thought it would be one of the worst things I’d ever had to do.

When the shit hit the fan in Clapham it had been bad, but at the start I’d been absolutely certain that it was all a big mistake and that Grant would never have done the things they said he’d done.

Of course, I’d been wrong, which had made the whole thing even worse, but I didn’t know that at the beginning, even if I started to have some niggling doubts later on.

But the way I’d felt that day when Grant told me he’d been suspended while they investigated some “inconsistencies”’ was nothing compared to the way I felt just imagining the expressions on the faces of the Elm Heath staff.

And so, I decided not to tell them.

‘They’ll just start looking for another job,’ I reasoned with myself. ‘Or they’ll blame me and make things difficult. It’s better if they don’t know yet.’

Instead, at the end of the school day, I took Paula into my office and shut the door on Emma, who was pretending to be absorbed in putting her coat on and absolutely not listening to what we were saying.

‘What’s all this?’ Paula said, looking alarmed. ‘Bad news?’

‘The worst.’

The colour drained from her face and she sat down heavily, looking like the air had been knocked out of her.

‘They’re closing Elm Heath?’

I nodded.

‘I never thought they’d actually do it.’

‘It’s not definite yet.’ I was eager to reassure her, because I couldn’t bear to see how bereft she looked. ‘That’s why I’m only telling you for now – not everyone else.’

She shrugged. ‘What can we do? I know how these things work – once a decision has been made, it’s made.’

‘Not necessarily,’ I said, but my protests sounded weak to my own ears. ‘I spoke to Denise Deacon at the council and she said it wasn’t signed off yet. It’s not official.’

Paula looked up at me, a tiny glimmer of hope in her eyes. ‘What exactly did she say?’

I thought for a moment. ‘She said it was a shame and she wished the school could stay open. I got the impression she’s on our side, thought she couldn’t really say so outright.’

Paula nodded. ‘And?’

‘She said we had to be creative and prove that Elm Heath was a vital part of the community, or that it was of special interest. We’ve got some time – and I’ve had a few ideas.’

‘Hit me,’ Paula said.

I found my scribbled notes and took her through what I’d come up with so far and she listened intently, her mind obviously racing with her own ideas.

‘My friend Joanna is a personal trainer,’ she said. ‘I bet she knows loads of fitness instructors who might want to use the hall. I’ll put the word out. If we’re smart we could get someone hiring it every evening and that will definitely help the budget.’